Arthur Miller's Salem-set witch-hunt drama, The Crucible has postponed its first Broadway preview by a day so that its co-star, Saoirse Ronan, can attend the Academy Awards, at which she is a nominee.

The first preview at the Walter Kerr Theatre was pushed back a day from Feb. 29 to March 1 so Ronan can attend the Feb. 28 Oscars. She is nominated as Best Actress for her performance in "Brooklyn." Opening night of The Crucible has been moved up to March 31 from April 7 and the show is scheduled to continue through July 17. Tickets can be ordered from Ticketmaster at (212) 307-4100 or by visiting Ticketmaster.com.

Saoirse Ronan in a promotional photo for The CruciblePhoto by James Minchin III

Ronan plays Abigail Williams in the Miller drama, which as been seen as an allegory of anti-communist "witch hunts" of the early 1950s, which cost many their livelihoods.

The production will have scenic and lighting design by longtime van Hove collaborator Jan Versweyveld and costume design by Wojciech Dziedzic. The casting directors are Heidi Griffiths and Zoe Rotter.

Miller's award-winning drama, according to the casting notice, is described thus: "In the tight-knit, Puritan town of Salem, a group of girls are discovered dancing in the woods and then immediately fall ill. When no earthly cause can be identified, fear and suspicion begin to percolate in the small, isolated community, that something larger, more fearsome, and other worldly may be to blame. Buried secrets and resentments are brought to light, and attempts to root out evil lead to finger-pointing, treachery, and betrayal. When everyone is a suspect, sometimes the most dangerous threat to the community may be the community itself."

The Crucible debuted on Broadway in January 1953, winning the Tony for Best Play. The most recent revival, directed by Richard Eyre in 2002, co-starred Laura Linney and Liam Neeson.